Hi TuDiabetes friends,
This update is about some of the awesome features and capabilities we’re going to gain through the migration! It’s not an exhaustive list at all, but these are a few of the things we think you will be particularly excited about...
First off I have two words for you: search function. Sure, our current site has a search function. Have you used it recently? If you have, the chances are good that you did not find what you were looking for. Today I searched for “diet” (on this site, which is all about diabetes), and here’s what I got ----------------------------------➠
Is this what I was looking for? No.
By contrast, I also searched for “diet” on a community that’s built on Discourse but does not have anything to do with food or health, specifically, and got this ---------➠
More useful? Yes.
Our new site will have a state-of-the-art search function, which not only looks for the keyword itself, but also uses context to deliver timely and relevant search results.
Mobile integration. Ever want to access TuDiabetes on the go? In its current form, it’s really confusing to view on a smartphone or iPad. Compare this image of our current appearance on an iPhone with the appearance of Talk Folksy, a community that’s built on the platform we’re moving to:
Unless you’re looking specifically for a discussion about the High Carb Era, the TuDiabetes view offers nothing, and no intuitive way to search for other content. Talk Folksy, on the other hand, tells us right up front what the community is about, how to find the latest posts, and how to find a list of categories.
Updated forum features to make discussion easier! Discourse includes more discussion features than I can even list here, so I’ll just list a few of the features I think will most enhance your experience in the forum.
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If you begin a post with a title similar to a post that already exists, you get a popup asking if you would like to add to that conversation, rather than start a new one on the same topic!
- Summarize button: long discussions generate a summary button that you can hit to get a summary of the main points made in the discussion.
Automatic loading of new comments: as members participate in conversations, each comment automatically loads in an endless stream. No more refreshing the page or clicking to the next page to read new additions and the discussion!
Pointers, notes and tools to help members start engaging and interesting conversations, including easy photo and video uploading within posts, reminders to engage respectfully, and a preview window so you can see exactly how your post will look as you’re creating it. This popup box is an example:
When you mention another member in a discussion using @username that person will receive a notification with a link to that discussion. This way you can easily invite your friends to join in conversations you think they’ll be interested in.
We’re joining the 21st century! We’ll be able to grow, change, and add to the community’s capabilities in any way that we want! The platform that TuDiabetes was originally built on, 7 years ago, has basically a box set of features and capabilities. It’s been great for us! But those features and capabilities have not kept pace with the evolution of online social networks. Our new platform will be what’s called “open source”, which means that we can change and add to it as time passes and our wants and needs evolve.
What will NOT change in the platform migration is the community itself. We are still the same wonderful people, here to help and support one another, to make friends with similar experiences, to ask and answer questions and to participate in a space made for and by people touched by diabetes. Our new site will not change who we are, but will make it easier to do what we do.